The Vitamin Shoppe Elevates Jack Gayton to Top Merchandising Post

The Vitamin Shoppe has promoted Jack Gayton to senior vice president, merchandising, effective immediately, the specialty retailer announced August 24.¹ In the new role, Gayton will oversee the company's merchandising and product development teams and report to CEO Sharon Leite.

"The health, wellness, and sports performance categories are evolving in many new directions, creating significant opportunities for The Vitamin Shoppe," stated Gayton. "My mission is to anticipate what customers will want next and bring the most compelling new ideas to market. I'm excited to lead a talented group of buyers and product developers as we build differentiated assortments, strengthen our best-in-class private brands, and unlock new avenues for shared growth with our partners."

Gayton succeeds Muriel Gonzalez, President of The Vitamin Shoppe, who is retiring after a retail career spanning more than four decades.

What Has Gayton's Track Record Been at The Vitamin Shoppe?

Gayton joined The Vitamin Shoppe in 2019 and has since taken on progressively greater responsibility across the merchant team, building brand relationships and bringing new products to customers. The company credits his work with helping position The Vitamin Shoppe as a launch destination for exclusive products from partners including Barebells, Clean Simple Eats, David Protein, GHOST, Gorilla Mind, MaryRuth's, RAW Nutrition, and Transparent Labs — a roster that spans active nutrition, protein, and functional wellness categories relevant to manufacturers targeting specialty retail.

In a statement, Leite highlighted Gayton's "commercial instincts" and category knowledge. "We are pleased to recognize and promote talent from within, and Jack's advancement reflects the meaningful impact he has had across our merchandising organization,” Leite added.

How Does the Rest of the Merchandising Team Change?

Alongside Gayton's promotion, David DiTota moves up to Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, reporting to Gayton. DiTota brings more than two decades of merchandising experience from national retail and technology companies and will help oversee the retailer's third-party assortments in high-growth wellness categories. The restructured merchandising team is intended to help the company respond more quickly to emerging trends and work with brand partners on new product development, according to the release.

What Other Recent Developments Should Manufacturers Track?

The leadership change follows the release of The Vitamin Shoppe's Health & Wellness Trend Report 2026 in late June. The report drew on internal retail sales data from the retailer's more than 640 stores and e-commerce platform, combined with a national survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, to identify five trends shaping the supplement category.²

Which Categories Are Gaining the Most Momentum?

Among the findings, fiber emerged as a fast-growing segment, with category sales up 20% year-to-date alongside sharp increases in searches for fiber and psyllium husk — a shift the report links to social media interest and rising consumer awareness of gut and metabolic health. Liver health also showed significant momentum, with related searches climbing steeply and liver cleanse product sales nearly doubling, a trend the report ties in part to strong performance from a liquid-format product.

What Do Ingredient Sourcing and Label Transparency Mean for Manufacturers?

The report additionally found that consumers increasingly rely on trademarked ingredients as a quality signal, with roughly two-thirds of respondents saying they trust branded ingredients over generic alternatives. Formula transparency emerged as a purchase driver as well, with a notable share of consumers reporting they had abandoned a purchase over insufficient label or testing information. Rounding out the findings, the report pointed to flavor innovation — including candy-inspired and dessert-style profiles — as a differentiator.

References

1. The Vitamin Shoppe. The Vitamin Shoppe promotes Jack Gayton to Senior Vice President, Merchandising. PR Newswire. August 24, 2026. Accessed August 24, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-vitamin-shoppe-promotes-jack-gayton-to-senior-vice-president-merchandising-302857993.html
2. McEvoy E. The Vitamin Shoppe shares 2026 trend report: strategic insights for dietary supplement manufacturers. Nutritional Outlook. June 30, 2026. Accessed August 24, 2026. https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/vitamin-shoppe-2026-trend-report-strategic-insights-dietary-supplement-manufacturers